Company insolvencies, May 2025
Monthly tables and commentary on the numbers, rates and sectors of companies that have entered formal insolvency procedures in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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The number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 2,238 in May 2025, 8% higher than in April 2025 (2,074) and 15% higher than the same month in the previous year (1,946 in May 2024). Monthly company insolvency numbers in the first five months of 2025 were slightly higher than in 2024 and at a similar level to 2023, which saw a 30-year high annual number of insolvencies.
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Company insolvencies in May 2025 consisted of 354 compulsory liquidations, 1,734 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 136 administrations and 14 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). There were no receivership appointments. The number of compulsory liquidations was 7% lower than the 10-year high seen in April 2025, but remained higher than both May 2024 and the 2024 monthly average. The number of CVLs in May 2025 was higher than both April 2025 and the 2024 monthly average. Administrations were higher than in April 2025, while CVAs were lower.
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One in 189 companies on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 53.0 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 June 2024 and 31 May 2025. This was a decrease from the 55.6 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 31 May 2024. Insolvency rates are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis as a proportion of the total number of companies on the effective register. The 12-month rolling rates show longer term trends and reduce the volatility associated with estimates based on single months.
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While the insolvency rate has increased since the lows seen in 2020 and 2021, it remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 recession. This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.